


You are my Sunshine

by Naturestar44



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: 5 mentions of exhaustion bc i counted, Fluff, Gen, Sicheng is mentioned once, Ten is soft for Hyuck, Who isn't though, and it still applies a year later, did you hear the self-hate in that last tag lol, i can't believe i wrote it after coming back to read my text spam like 20 times this is so sad, it's not really romantic but you could take it that way if you want, oddly realistic but also Ten would probably not be this soft, oh also Johnny is here for 4 seconds, only took me a year to write it, pure fluff, sm please let my children rest, that is so sad, the way i came up with this when 127 finished touring, this hurt a little to write, this started out as a text spam to a friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:00:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24671218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naturestar44/pseuds/Naturestar44
Summary: read this if you want to feel even softer for Hyuck,, if that's even possibleaka 1.3K of Ten being tired and very soft for Hyuck
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten
Comments: 10
Kudos: 77





	You are my Sunshine

Ten hadn’t stepped foot in the 127 dorms in over a month. WayV had finally finished their latest promotions. Even though it had been shorter than they’d hoped for, they were all exhausted from the relentless sleeplessness of their schedules. Though the residual restrictions of the quarantine prevented them from going abroad or even to China for their promotional period, their schedules had still managed to be so packed that they were lucky to come home by midnight. When they did come home, they could barely muster the willpower to take a shower before passing out in bed with the imminent promise of consciousness hastily approaching on the dawning horizon. 

So no, Ten had not had time to catch up with any of his friends. He hadn’t had a conversation with someone who wasn’t a host, his member, or a manager in weeks and even though his body was craving rest (Sicheng had immediately claimed his bed, three bags of snacks, and forty-eight hours minimum of solitude when their last schedule had ended that morning), his desire to connect with someone _out of his routine_ was much stronger. 

His body was at that point of crazed exhaustion where he could _tell_ that the air was different the second Johnny opened the door and pulled him through the doorway into a hug. The relief of a new scent that hadn’t turned stale with familiarity as well as the comfort of a friend’s hug had Ten’s body sagging into relaxation.

“Food?” Johnny asked, and Ten nodded quietly. What followed was a rush of colorful senses wrapping warmly around Ten and pulling him deeper into a feeling of safety and content. The 127 dorm was unofficially the main dorm for congregation, but today there were less people than usual. Answering his silent question, Johnny informed him that most of the members had decided to stay in their individual rooms today. Ten read between the lines: everyone is tired. He briefly wondered when that fact had lost its sense of rarity and become recycled in its unoriginality. He wondered when the last time they’d all been well-rested was… 

The afternoon waxed slow and then all too quick, the sunlight tracing its daily path through the blinds. Soon it was sinking down for its nightly rest, and the members left in the living room had followed suit, heads drooped low and eyes glistening with sleepy haze. Ten could feel sleep whispering on the edges of his mind, but a weight in his lap kept him from succumbing. 

Donghyuck’s head lay in his lap, having long given up the fight against sleep and lain down on the nearest cushion (deciding that Ten’s legs were close enough since he was too tired to get up for a real pillow… or bed). The younger boy was fast asleep, slightly parted mouth proof of that. Ten smiled at that, remembering the younger’s habit of subconsciously keeping his mouth open so that his front teeth could _just_ barely be seen. After debuting and appearing on shows (and being teased for being a ‘mouth-breather’ by the dreamies), Haechan had rid himself of the habit consciously. It only showed up when he was completely zoned out, or, in this case, unconscious. 

A silent chord sang in Ten’s mind. Donghyuck’s exhaustion mirrored his own. 127 had just finished their promotions for a break as well, but in Donghyuck’s case he had pushed through three comebacks in a row. He’d had no break between comebacks, switching between units seamlessly, learning choreography, memorizing lines, performing at music shows for an empty audience, and participating in variety shows for over four months. The younger’s playful personality masked his worth ethic and exhaustion adeptly, but Ten could see now, in the concave curves of his face and the bags under his eyes, just how much Donghyuck had shouldered without help. 

A flame of pride and admiration flared in Ten for his dongsaeng. For all the jokes and teasing Haechan did, he was just as diligent, hard-working, and self-willed as the other members. If anything, he had proven himself ten times more than many professionals that Ten knew. He was indefatigable.

But he was also human, grew tired and lost resilience like anyone else. Every light flickers.

Ten carded a hand through Donghyuck’s hair, ignoring the feel of the dry strands in favor of the way the boy shifted slightly in his sleep, burrowing his head just a little further into Ten’s lap. It took him a minute or two, sitting there smiling down at his dongsaeng, to realize that he was humming. He starts singing softly when he does, aware that everyone else in the room had fallen asleep.

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.”

Donghyuck stirs, turning his head in Ten’s lap. Slowly his eyes start to flutter open. He’s in that half-asleep, half-awake state where inhibition and self-awareness have yet to settle in. So when he registers Ten singing quietly over him, he doesn’t pounce to tease him.

Instead he smiles, snuggling his head back into Ten’s hands for him to keep stroking his hair. He can’t quite tell what Ten’s singing at first.

“... when skies are gray”

He realizes it’s in English when he hears the word ‘sunshine.’

“Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

“Full sun?” he slurs, his eyes drooping back down from waves of relaxation. It’s been so long since someone’s played with his hair like this. Ten’s fingers in his hair lull him back to sleep, so he can’t hear an answer, just soft humming above him. He feels safe and warm. He’s missed this.

Ten’s still humming when he reaches the end of the song; he breaks into a hushed whisper again.

“You’ll never know dear how much I love you.”

He smooths a hand over Donghyuck’s forehead, pushing his hair out of his face. 

“Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

Slowly, he slips his hand under Donghyuck’s head; he’s sleeping so peacefully. Ten carefully lifts the younger from his lap. He’s humming softly now.

He stands up quietly, sliding his arms under Donghyuck’s sleeping form and picking him up so so carefully. Careful enough that he keeps sleeping.

Ten carries him to his room. His muscles burn and strain in protest after so many weeks of work, but the younger deserves his rest, has _earned it_. He’s worked so hard lately, done well in every comeback, shone brightly even after others would have become faded from exhaustion. He deserves to rest.

He lays Donghyuck down on his bed, grabbing a blanket to place over him. As he does, he leans over, lips pressing softly against a smooth forehead. Maybe Ten was more than a little sleepy too, softened under the weight of the past few weeks and the promise of a short break.

He stands back up.

“Please don’t take,” he whispers roughly, hand brushing against Donghyuck’s cheek as the younger boy nuzzles into it, instinctively seeking warmth.

“My sunshine-”

He smiles, a bittersweet feeling drowning his heart; thoughts swam in circles, rushing and overwhelming but completely silent in their cries. 

“Away.”

He slipped out of the room silently, grabbing his jacket before leaving the dorm entirely. The pattern of Donghyuck’s calm breathing followed Ten’s footsteps all the way back to his own bed. 

It was unfair, he thought, that they couldn’t rest for longer. But he had long ago accepted it; they all had. And he knew that they willingly paid that personal price to chase the light of their own dreams and diffract it onto their fans. Still, as he lay his head on his pillow, his heartbeat traced the lines of a certain boy fast asleep in the 127 dorm. 

The bittersweet feeling rose up again in his heart, overcoming Ten with dreams of bright sunlight enveloping the word. It shone through colored glass and reflected off of mirrors. The tune of a faded English song wove itself between the beams of sunlight, and Ten smiled in his sleep.

_In all my dreams, dear, you seem to leave me_

_When I awake my poor heart pains._

_So when you come back and make me happy_

_I'll forgive you dear, I'll take all the blame._

_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine._

☼

**Author's Note:**

> In case anyone noticed and/or was bothered: the tense change was very purposeful. I feel like it helped switch the vibe and perspective, also yes there's a small POV change to Hyuck for a second there. In my defense, I literally texted the plot and half the story of this while crying. A year ago. *sigh* Had to delete a lot of ;-; , ;;;;;;-;;;;;; , and "help me"s to write this. I was really going through it–
> 
> In conclusion, everyone deserves a big long rest. I wish I could donate my free time to my faves when they get really busy because I really don't have a life. My self-deprecation's slipping back into the conversation, this is a sign to wrap it up.
> 
> I can't believe this is the first NCT fic that I've posted. Anyways I hope you enjoyed reading it ^^ I know it's super short, but hopefully it can still give you some kind of happiness <3


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